~ Perspective from Vancouver

Item from Ian: What’s in a name?

Rochelle LaPlante, who works for Mechanical Turk, an internet platform for people to post and find piecework jobs, sees public relations spin behind the term “sharing economy.” “There’s an exchange of money,” she said. “It’s not really sharing if a person’s paying for it.” …

With the term “sharing economy” under scrutiny, experts are casting about for substitutes. Miriam A. Cherry, a St. Louis University law professor, recommends the “on-demand economy,” but critics say that isn’t exact enough, because ordering a pizza by phone can be considered part of an on-demand economy. Others prefer “gig economy,” but some assert that phrase isn’t suitable for 21st-century app-based companies because gig workers — think jazz musicians — have been around for decades. …

Despite the criticism that “sharing economy” is inaccurate and sounds like corporate spin, Professor Sundararajan says we might be stuck with that description because corporations and the public so often use it. When Silicon Valley and Madison Avenue latch on to a phrase, it’s not easy to shake it off.